


There's No Place (I would rather be)

by maybe_we_were



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Banter, Campfires, Clint Is a Good Bro, F/M, Moving On, Past Relationship(s), Playful Steve Rogers, visiting friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-30 05:52:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6411445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maybe_we_were/pseuds/maybe_we_were
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Exhausted after months of training the new Avengers team, Sam, Steve, and Natasha take a weekend to go to Clint's farm.  The fresh air and new perspective leads to some changes for Natasha.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's No Place (I would rather be)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello awesome people! It's been a little since I've written Steve and Natasha (or Avengers at all), so I apologize in advance if anyone is out of character. I'm not sure if this would happen anywhere in the Marvel Universe, but I liked the idea and ran with it. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Stan Lee is the man and obviously has credit for the characters in the story.

It’s been four months since the mess that was Ultron and the (new) Avengers were feeling the wear of constant training.  Long days of physically and mentally exhausting prep was part of their everyday lives, but sometimes you need a break.  So when Clint suggested to Natasha that they come down for the weekend, just to get away, “yes” flew out of her mouth before he was finished asking.  Sam was in, no questions asked, and Vision and Wanda were a definite no, wanting to stay behind and hold down the fort in case there were any problems.  This left Steve, who took some convincing.

“Steve, they are perfectly capable of running the facility while we’re gone.  There are _two_ of them, one with a magic stone that makes him practically invincible and the other who can twist thoughts better than Spider-man can twist webs.”

One manicured eyebrow raises when Steve _still_ hesitates. 

_Jeez, can’t even leave his toys alone for two days._

“Seriously, it’ll be fine.  I know you’re protective, but the base is in good hands.  And Sam’s already coming.  You don’t want to leave him alone with Clint, do you?”

This revelation apparently gave Steve something serious to think about.

“Nat, I hate when you’re right,” he finally concedes. 

And that’s how they found themselves landing an Avengers carrier far out in Clint’s pasture.  Natasha watches as Steve grabs his and her bags and eyes their surroundings.  The deep breath he takes relaxes his shoulders, leading Natasha to feel this was the right decision for the leader of the team. 

They walk the couple hundred feet to the farm house, Steve and Sam keeping up a steady stream of conversation.  Clint and Laura are waiting for them on the front porch, looking like the quintessential country couple.  Clint’s plaid-covered arm is slung around Laura’s shoulder, hers around his waist.  They look…happy.  Relaxed.  Peaceful.  There’s a small part of Natasha that wishes she had that, but she knows that is not in the cards she was dealt. 

“Hey guys!” Clint greets, hugging Natasha before shaking hands with Steve and Sam.

Laura moves in to hug her next, whispering a quick hello. She does the same with the guys, both men’s ears turning slightly pink.

When two pairs of tiny arms don’t wrap around her legs, Natasha is confused.  Any other time she has visited, Cooper and Lila were immediately running down the steps to see their Auntie Nat. 

“Where are the kids?” she wonders out loud.

The smiles on Laura’s face widens when she answers. 

“They’re at Grandma and Grandpa’s.  They were dying to babysit and this seemed like the perfect weekend, so we could have some more time with all of you.  Little Nathaniel is here with us, of course.”

Although she’d love to see the kids, Laura has an excellent point.  They can talk about specific subjects that otherwise could not be mentioned around little ears. 

She smiles and let’s Clint lead them into the house, where he points out rooms for everyone to put their belongings.  Everything is homey, cotton quilts draping the beds and sheer curtains framing the windows.  The house looks loved and lived in, instead of a museum or relic like some keep theirs.  Steve places her bag on the blue covering on her bed and leaves to unpack his own clothing and toiletries in the room next door. 

The next twenty-four hours go quickly, almost too fast, between dinner, taking care of Nathaniel, and jet lag.  Everyone slept in (to the best of their ability), then split up into groups, the men going out to have some guy time, while the women stay in the house to gush over Nathaniel and catch up.  The dinner they prepared also passes quickly, Laura summoning the guys with the dinner bell that’s near the front porch.  They scarf down the hamburgers, pasta salad, corn, and fruit she and Laura had taken the time to lay out. 

“Thanks, baby,” she hears Clint whisper in Laura’s ear, placing a chaste kiss on her head.

“Guys, we’ve got clean up.  Then we can start the fire,” Clint says. 

Neither of the male guests seems upset by this news, taking care of the paper plates and putting the leftovers in the fridge.  The idea for the bonfire came from Steve, the thought of s’mores for dessert coming from Sam.  The ladies run in for sweatshirts for everyone, with the air being crisp and cool after the sun went down.  Clint’s, Laura’s, and Sam’s were hanging on the hooks near the front door, leaving Natasha to run upstairs to get hers and Steve’s out of their respective rooms.  She spots hers when she first walks into her room, grabbing it and heading out the door.  Steve’s, on the other hand, is not as easy to locate.  She looks around his room and in the bag he has next to the foot of the bed before looking in the closet.  Of course, it’s there, hung up on a hanger.  She plucks it from the closet, a dark blue hoodie she’s seen him wear a few times before.  Whatever cologne he wears clings to the fabric, not overwhelming, just present. 

She joins Laura at the bottom of the steps and they walk out to where the fire is already going.  They settle down around the fire, the ingredients for s’mores on a tray on the ground.  Clint is in a chair, Laura across his lap.  Sam is sitting on a blanket, eyes watching his marshmallow to make sure it browns properly.  Steve is lounging, his back against a tree stump, one arm resting on top of his bent knee.  Natasha is a foot away from him, listening to the group chat about nothing important. 

It’s refreshing, neither HYDRA, Tony, nor Bruce being mentioned.  They are all taboo subjects which everyone is smart enough to stay away from.  Her eyes drift to the easy way Clint and Laura interact, nothing new to what she’s seen before when she’s visited.  For some reason, how happy they look strikes her again, though she’s not sure why.  Maybe being here with Sam and Steve, replacing memories of their last visit here when Ultron had given them a stellar beating, is making her feel appreciative of the trust they have in each other.

She’s especially happy to replace those memories with the one that’s being formed before her eyes.  She watches as Steve steals Sam’s marshmallow before he has the chance to eat it.

“Hey man, get your own!” Sam exclaims, clearly upset that his treat was eaten by someone else.  Laura jumps in, smiling while reprimanding Steve for taking Sam’s marshmallow.  It sounds an awful lot like something a parent would say to a child taking their sibling’s toys. 

Steve exaggerates a pout, his eyes sparkling with mischief.  He _obviously_ isn’t feeling too bad.  She hasn’t seen Steve so playful and relaxed before, definitely not like this at all in the last few months. 

Sam huffs and puts a new marshmallow on to roast, before giving Steve a warning. 

“Touch this one and you can forget about me working with Ant-man.”

Steve holds his hands up and chuckles, “I surrender.”

She watches as he shifts, laying his head in Natasha’s lap, blue eyes peering up at hers. 

“Less temptation if I can’t see it, right?”

She nods and laughs, agreeing. 

“It would have been easier had you kept your hands to yourself,” she quips, earning a raised eyebrow from Steve.  She’s feeling different in this place.  She’s not sure if it’s the fresh air or open skies or the company, but the mood is infectious.  Steve must have noticed her change in demeanor, but doesn’t say anything.

“Ya know, I’ve always had a problem with that.  I just can’t help myself,” he jokes. 

Steve has always followed the rules, which included not taking others things and asking permission to do, well, just about anything.  Don't even get her started on all of the times he apologizes for something he doesn't need to. 

The mischievous look on his face returns, and she has a sinking feeling she knows exactly what he’s thinking about doing.  Sure enough, his hand comes up and starts to tickle the one spot where she is sensitive, right below her ribs.  He forgets that she has the upper hand, being that she’s sitting up and all. 

She grabs his hand tightly, stopping him before she starts to laugh uncontrollably or punch him.  She hates being tickled, but she doesn’t want him to move his head from where it’s resting.  She holds on even after he moves his hand to his chest, for security purposes.  Their hands slip into a more comfortable grip, rising and falling every time he breathes. 

They banter back and forth for a bit, then return to the group’s conversation, which changed to a discussion if _Top Gun_ or _Days of Thunder_ is better.  Clint and Laura present a united front, both in favor of _Top Gun_ , due to the plot, whereas Sam thinks the thrill of driving a race car is more exciting than piloting a jet.  

She’s thinking about how well Laura and Clint are suited for each other when Clint catches her eyes over the flames of the fire, his head tilting slightly towards Steve’s head in her lap and her and Steve’s hands. 

Of course he noticed.  His code name is Hawk-eye for a reason. 

She shrugs her shoulders, knowing they’ll talk about it later.  Being at the farm with Clint and Laura and Steve and Sam has cleared things up for her, and now she sees it.  It’s not only the time to move on from Bruce, but she’s also ready to.  She wants to find someone who understands and embraces her passions in life, but also pushes her to see other viewpoints and better herself.  It only takes her a few seconds to realize who is constantly pushing her to her limits, emotionally and morally.  She has always known what was good for her, except for the case with Bruce.  And now the right person has practically fallen into her lap.

So the next day when they are on the carrier on their way back home, and Steve offers to accompany her to the new movie she wants to see and suggests a walk in the park afterwards, she doesn’t hesitate to say yes. 


End file.
